So as I was reading Kelly Nestruck in the Globe and Mail this morning I followed the links and ended up an hour later shaking my head. Thanks Kelly.
The link is this: So much drama!
Really, go, follow, be astounded and lose an hour of your life.
So a couple of thoughts. One great comment asked why this exchange would get national and international coverage but nary a word in the local papers. Just one of those crazy things I guess.
But this does give me the perfect opportunity to trot out a spectacularly new personal theory of mine. One that, alas, has no basis in scientific fact but one that I am positive about.
Like the deadly and dangerous effects of landfill gas or marsh gas I posit that modern society has left such a huge amount of rotting hubris laying about that as it decays it exudes clouds of low hanging stupid gas. When a usually rational person walks through a cloud of this gas they are instantly afflicted with Stupid Gas Syndrome that causes them to open their mouths {or write a comment, blog post etc} in the classic Ready, Fire, Aim manner.
The only way to actually redeem oneself in such a situation is to go someplace quiet, take deep cleansing breaths of fresh air, admit that you were stupid, apologize and move on.
Alas for many that never seems to happen.
P.S. Kelly closes his article with this. "In the meantime, Haslam’s delivered a lesson to all thin-skinned artists out there: Don’t Google yourself."
Back in the day that was called an "ego search" I have done a few of those myself albeit only when well fortified with suitable alcoholic beverages. Kelly has good advice. Just don't do it.
2 comments:
I'm pretty sure I lost more than an hour when I read Kelly's article.
I had been nursing a post-fringe post-frantic-grant-application-time cold (I figure it's just like the end of exams) so I had basically been living with my head in the sand for the previous couple weeks.
So I read, and read, and read, and read. And shook my head, a lot.
I read lots of stuff about it, I read her previous writing, I read things he said afterwards, so much reading.
Ultimately I decided not to weigh in on Mooney on Theatre, because so many people had already said so much, I didn't really think I had much to add.
What I will put forward why I think there are SO many people in SUCH an uproar about this. This wasn't just a disgruntled actor, this was the Artistic Director. I think once you become the AD of a company, whether you like it or not, the perception is that you're speaking for your company, whether you are or not.
Well, that, and the fact that he decided to have the discourse on the web, which means everyone and their dog is going to comment on it.
I think that no matter what when you become an AD you really don't have a truly personal opinion anymore. No matter how you disclaimer it whatever you say will be linked to the company.
I also think that the real issue comes down to yourself. You have to be able to separate what you want and what is best for the company. The other day I was asked if I was going to replace someone and I said "Well that would give me a great deal of satisfaction but it wouldn't give any satisfaction to the company".
Sometimes youjust have to hold your tongue until you can speak as an independant person again.
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